Banned Books Week 2026 Artwork Unveiled

Annual Event Maximizes Engagement with Three Designs 

CHICAGO – The American Library Association (ALA) and Banned Books Week Coalition today unveiled the artwork for Banned Books Week 2026, October 4–10. Designed for use in Banned Books Week events nationwide and internationally, the 2026 theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” 

The struggle against book bans is too immense to capture in a single image. This year’s Banned Books Week campaign features three illustrations showing how libraries and access to information enrich our lives. The artwork from award-winning illustrators Hyesu Lee, Loveis Wise, and Mikey Burton embraces joy and creativity as acts of resilience, reminding our communities that a handful of people running organized censorship campaigns should not be allowed to dictate what the rest of us can read.  

“Banned Books Week is a celebration of the freedom to read and the joy that comes from discovering stories that expand our understanding of ourselves and one another,” said American Library Association President Sam Helmick. “Every person has the right to seek information and choose books without censorship. When we say 'Let Books Be,' we’re showing up for readers everywhere and reaffirming that libraries are for everyone.” 

Barbara Stripling, chair of the Banned Books Week Coalition, added, “The 2026 Banned Books Week theme, ‘Let Books Be,’ celebrates the joy of reading and, at the same time, motivates us to stand up for the right to read. We must let books be a window into ourselves and others, a door to new ideas and possibilities, and a path to full participation in our society.” 

During National Library Week, ALA released the list of the Top 11 Most Challenged Books of 2025 as part of the State of America’s Libraries Report. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, only five titles behind the record set in 2023. Nearly 92% of 2025 book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers, and 5,668 titles were banned from libraries (66% of the total challenged), with access to an additional 920 books restricted. This is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship since OIF began compiling censorship data in 1990.  

Banned Books Week 2026 is an opportunity to inform communities about this escalation in censorship while also highlighting the importance of the right to read and readers’ access to information. October 10, 2026, will be Let Freedom Read Day, a day of direct action against censorship. Together, we can protect the freedom to read during Banned Books Week and throughout the year. Let Books Be.  

The Let Books Be theme was developed in collaboration with Little Jacket, the firm behind ALA’s Libraries Transform campaign. Banned Books Week posters, bookmarks, stickers, and more are available in the ALA Store at ala.org/letbooksbe/. Apparel, totes, drinkware, and other materials featuring the illustrations—including Spanish versions—are available in the Library Gift Shop at www.librarygiftshop.org/let-books-be. 

A variety of free downloads and materials to support Banned Books Week activities are available at ala.org/bbooks and BannedBooksWeek.org. Additional resources will be added in the leadup to Banned Books Week 2026. 

About the Artists

Hyesu Lee is a Brooklyn-based artist from South Korea whose work spans illustration, murals, and comics. She creates colorful, character-driven worlds that are playful, expressive, and rooted in connection. Her work often centers on community, joy, and the small magic found in everyday life. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyheysu/  

Loveis Wise is an illustrator, multidisciplinary artist, and educator. Currently based in Los Angeles, Loveis's work centers on reimagining futures, liberation, and queer/gender-expansive communities and their stories. Their constant world-making of playful dreamscapes has allowed them to create a distinctly recognizable style and palette, offering narrative storytelling through digital and traditional art-making, with clients including Google, Apple, HarperCollins, “The New Yorker,” Dr. Martens, and more. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveiswiseillu/  

Mikey Burton is a graphic designer, avid doodler, and hobby printer. He’s worked with many clients, including “The New York Times,” Apple, “The Wall Street Journal,” “Forbes,” and other impressive companies that make him seem accomplished. He also works two days a week for the Emmy Award–winning TV show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” He grew up in Northeast Ohio and graduated with a master’s in visual communications from Kent State University. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeyburton/ 

About Little Jacket

Little Jacket is an internationally recognized branding and marketing communications firm founded in 2004 and based in Cleveland, Ohio. They help brands find their voice by combining strategic insights with thoughtful design. Working with ALA, Little Jacket created and launched the long-running Libraries Transform campaign, which more than 15,000 libraries embraced. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelittlejacket/ 

About Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. Held in late September or early October, the annual event highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community—librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas. ala.org/bbooks 

About the American Library Association 

The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.   

About the Banned Books Week Coalition

The Banned Books Week Coalition is an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship. 

The Banned Books Week Coalition appoints an honorary chair and youth honorary chair to lead Banned Books Week. Past honorary chairs include civil rights icon and acclaimed actor George Takei (“They Called Us Enemy,” “Star Trek”), literacy champion LeVar Burton (“Reading Rainbow”), award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay (“Origin”) and celebrated authors Jason Reynolds (“All American Boys”) and George M. Johnson (“All Boys Aren’t Blue”). The 2026 honorary chairs will be announced in the coming weeks. bannedbooksweek.org